Russia Insists Su-75 Checkmate Fighter Will Fly Next Year Russia claims Su-75 development, including an uncrewed variant concept, has continued since its unveiling in 2021 despite the war in Ukraine. Latest on Checkmate from Dubai: twz.com/air/russia-insists-s…

In Russia, a "dandelion tank" has been patented.The invention relates to passive protection systems designed to shield stationary and mobile objects (particularly tanks) from strikes by FPV drones.The passive protection device consists of sets of rods made of flexible material, interconnected into a tree-like (branching) structure that forms a voluminous protective barrier. The tree-like structure comprises multiple tiers.Each tier contains flexible rods of varying lengths and cross-sections. The upper tiers are made of thin-section rods, while the lower tiers consist of thicker-section rods. The number of rods increases from the bottom tier to the top. The rods are connected to each other using easily detachable coupling elements.The flexible rods are made of fiberglass rebar of various diameters. The coupling elements are made of shaped sheet metal or impact-resistant plastic. Between the upper tiers of the tree-like structures, a fine-mesh net made of high-strength synthetic material (e.g. Kevlar-type) is stretched.(Informal note: The nickname “dandelion tank” comes from its appearance — a tank covered with dozens of tall, thin, branching “stems” topped with a mesh “puff”, resembling a giant dandelion.)